Alfred Gruenther

Alfred Gruenther
Born	1899-03-03  Platte Center,  Nebraska,  USA
Died	May 30, 1983 (Age 84)  Washington DC
Nationality	US
Alma mater	•  Saint Thomas Academy •  West Point
Member of	Alibi Club, Bohemian Grove, Council on Foreign Relations/Historical Members
Attended 2 Bilderbergs in the 1950s as SACEUR, screened as a potential presidential candidate for 1960.  American Red Cross/President In office January 1957 - March 1964  Supreme Allied Commander Europe In office 11 Jul 1953 - 20 Nov 1956 Employer NATO Preceded by Matthew Ridgway Succeeded by Lauris Norstad Attended 2 Bilderbergs in this capacity

Alfred Maximilian Gruenther was a US officer who was Supreme Allied Commander Europe and considered as a potential presidential candidate for 1960 when he attended 2 Bilderbergs.

Education

Gruenther attended the Catholic military high school Saint Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota and graduated fourth in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1917.

Career

Between 1941 and 1953, Gruenther was Chief of Staff of the 3^rd US Army, the 5^th US Army, the 15^th US Army, as well as at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). A protégé of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gruenther was chief planner of the Allied Invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch) in 1942 during World War II. After that, he was again involved in the plans for the invasion of Italy in 1943.

Gruenther was considered the best bridge player in the U.S. Army, and was Dwight D. Eisenhower's favorite partner.

After the war, Gruenther became Deputy Commanding General of the US troops in Austria in 1945. On July 11, 1953, he took over the command of NATO High Command Europe as the third Supreme Allied Commander Europe and at the same time the US troops stationed in Europe as commander of the US European Command. After three years, on 20 November 1956, Gruenther handed over command to Lauris Norstad and retired.

Bilderberg

He attended two Bilderberg meetings as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The same year, Gruenther was selected for a puff piece and cover story of Time magazine, on 6 February 1956. In the 1956 presidential campaign, Gruenther's name was placed on the list of possible candidates for the Republican nomination after Eisenhower's heart attack on 24 September 1955. After two terms, President Eisenhower considered Gruenther as a possible alternative to Richard Nixon for the Republican presidential nomination in 1960, and later suggested Gruenther as a potential vice-president for Nixon, but ultimately realized that Gruenther did not have the political base required to get either place on the ticket.

Later activities

From January 1957 to March 1964, he was president of the American Red Cross.

Gruenther sat on the boards of Dart Industries, Inc., New York Life Insurance Company, and Pan American World Airways. He also sat on the Draper Committee on military assistance, and several presidential commissions on draft, health and disarmament. He was a president of the English-Speaking Union. He was honorary president of the World Bridge Federation 1958–78.

Death

Gruenther died of complications of pneumonia at Walter Reed Army Hospital on 30 May 1983, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

Events Participated in

Event	Start	End	Location(s)	Description
Bilderberg/1955 September	23 September 1955	25 September 1955	Germany Bavaria Garmisch-Partenkirchen	The third Bilderberg, in West Germany. The subject of a report by Der Spiegel which inspired a heavy blackout of subsequent meetings.
Bilderberg/1956	11 May 1956	13 May 1956	Denmark Fredensborg	The 4th Bilderberg meeting, with 147 guests, in contrast to the generally smaller meetings of the 1950s. Has two Bilderberg meetings in the years before and after

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.